Frank Mir Denies PED Use Following ‘Potential’ Violation Notification

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (pictured) was notified Friday by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the third party organization the UFC hired in July to conduct year-round drug testing, of a “potential” violation on March 19th’s fight night drug test.

Mir was knocked out by Mark Hunt in the opening round at UFC Fight Night 85, which took place Brisbane, Australia.

“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Frank Mir of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an in-competition sample collected the day of his fight on March 20, 2016 in Brisbane, Australia,” the UFC’s statement read. “USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Mir. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.”

“To all my fans and supporters, I recently have been notified by USADA that the test I took on the night of the fight came back positive for a substance that I did not take,” Mir wrote. “I don’t know how that is possible as I did not take any performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to compete. I have never tested positive for a banned substance since joining the UFC and becoming a 2x champion. I ask all of you to hold judgment against me until all the facts have been revealed.”

As we all learned from Yoel Romero’s incident, where it was proven that a supplement the UFC middleweight contender was consuming contained a banned substance that was not written on the label and caused him to flunk an out-of-competition drug test, let’s see how this plays out.

Parlayed with their partnership with the USADA, the UFC revamped the penalties for guilty parties.

Under the new policy, first-time offenders for performance-enhancing drug will receive a two-year ban, four years with “aggravating circumstance.” The suspension is doubled for the second offense and double of the second penalty on the third offense.

Marijuana and other recreational drugs will only be tested in-competition. These failed screenings will result in a one-year suspension, two years for aggravating circumstance. The suspension is doubled for the second offense and double of the second penalty on the third offense.

Previous failures could either count towards the new policy or steer the offenses towards the aggravated circumstances part of the policy.